Paris jewelry couture week: from new collections to new addresses

By

Satyam Srivastav

Published
Jan 30, 2019

It was a very busy moment for jewelry in Paris this month during couture week, with boutique openings; multiple presentations and even a house-warming party. And no surprise, since Paris haute couture is the period of the year for the biggest creative minds of high jewelry come together to showcase their creativity in one city.
 
 

 
Luxury jewelry house Chaumet opened a temporary new address at 165 Boulevard Saint-Germain in the French capital to share its history with Parisians through a series of exhibitions and events. The exhibitions, open by prior appointments, will commence next month with a first show examining the relationship between Chaumet and writers.

The iconic neighborhood of the Seine river's Left Bank, Saint-Germain-des-Prés was the epicenter for artists in the past and today is one of the 'bourgeois quartiers' in Paris. Through this new address, Chaumet hopes to educate people about their vast history and show iconic jewelry pieces imbued with emotional value.

For the occasion, Chaumet also launched a new watch collection called Boléro for women; available in yellow and pink gold, as a large model with a Swiss automatic movement and a small model with a Swiss quartz movement.

 
On the other side of the Seine, Boucheron celebrated its grand new flagship store on Place Vendome – the nerve center of the world’s top-shelf jewelry houses. The finely restored townhouse was built in 1717 and now even includes a five-star apartment for high-rolling customers. François-Henri Pinault – whose luxury group Kering owns Boucheron – hosted the soiree, attended by his movie star wife Salma Hayek, Laetitia Casta, Uma Thurman and Catherine Deneuve.
 
Some newer jewelry designers also presented their collections, notably American jewelry designer, Michal Kadar, whose brand Cadar is actively penetrating the European market. This is her second time in Paris for Cadar, whose new collection was presented in the hyper opulence of the Hotel de Crillon. The collections are the mélange of meticulous fabrication and creative design with an ever-present attention to detail: 18k gold is used in order to achieve an intricate mechanism without compromising the appearance.

 
Founded in 2015 and winner of several awards, Cadar's “Feather collection” and “Endless collection” are particularly alluring. In the Feather collection, earrings are supple and light; available in yellow and white gold.
 
A ring from the Endless collection features a fascinating “hinge”, which gives free yet controlled movement, allowing its owner to create multiple looks.

Ultimately, for the luxury jewellers hoping to reach the highest number possible of well-heeled consumers, the number of exhibitions opening in Paris was testament to the city's global appeal, enticing French and international brands alike.